ScienceDaily (July 14, 2008) — Scientists of the Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg have simulated on the computer how cells decide whether or not to migrate. Using their results, the researchers were able to predict the molecular targets within a cell that have to be hit so that its behavior changes in a particular direction. This method may help to develop new treatments against cancer metastasis.

One hundred and thirty years ago, Paul Ehrlich, pioneer of chemotherapy, speculated that when a cell gets sick, this is caused by a molecular change that has taken place inside the cell. Ehrlich surmised that if one could specifically hit this place of change, i.e. the "molecular target", then the disease could be cured.

When it comes to cancer, this concept has only limited applicability, because tumor cells are altered in many places. For cancer treatment to be successful, it needs to hit several molecular targets -- and in a specific order, too. However, with the number of targets growing, the number of possible combinations of hits increases exponentially. If one aims to influence the genetic activity of a cell, there are several thousand targets to choose from.

In this case it is impossible to test all possible combinations experimentally in order to find an efficient therapy. In this area, biologists and medical researchers are seeking help from mathematicians or physicists. They provide computer models that simulate a cell's behavior and, thus, make "testing" possible at all. This new research field is called systems biology.

In an interdisciplinary collaboration, research groups at DKFZ have now succeeded in elucidating the process underlying a cell's decision about how it is going to behave. Scientists in the teams of biologist Dr. Axel Szabowski, physicist Dr. Hauke Busch and mathematician Professor Roland Eils have investigated what makes human skin cells migrate into a wound to make it heal. They showed that the cells take several steps to decide to "start moving", how fast to do so, where to go and when to stop again. For the process to start, various external signals have to be received in a particular order. The scientists subsequently simulated this process on the computer. In doing so, they succeeded in predicting the molecular targets by which a cell's behavior can be changed in a particular direction.

Metastasizing cancer cells, too, migrate through the body -- though in their case, it is undesired. They decide to migrate even when normal cells would not move. Using the new simulation method developed by the DKFZ researchers, it is possible to simulate how the genes involved in this process interact and, thus, find out the molecular targets and the order in which they need to be hit so that tumor cells stop migrating. Therefore, the method is relevant not only for basic medical research, but also forges new paths in cancer medicine.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

1. Busch et al. Gene network dynamics controlling keratinocyte migration. Molecular Systems Biology, 2008; 4 DOI: 10.1038/msb.2008.36

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Related Stories

Key Mechanism Identified in Metastatic Breast Cancer (May 4, 2010) — Scientists have identified a key molecular mechanism in breast cancer that enables tumor cells to spread to adjacent or distant parts of the body in a process called metastasis. This finding opens ...  > read more

Cells' Grouping Tactic Points to New Cancer Treatments (July 21, 2010) — The mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the body has been discovered by scientists at in the UK -- a finding that has implications for the development of new cancer ...  > read more

Gene May Hinder Spread Of Prostate Cancer (Aug. 29, 2007) — Researchers have identified a gene, known as OGR1, that suppresses prostate cancer metastasis in mice. Cancer deaths are largely attributed to tumor metastasis--when the cancer cells spread to other ...  > read more

Newly Identified Gene Powerful Predictor Of Colon Cancer Metastasis (Jan. 5, 2009) — Scientists have identified a gene which enables them to predict for the first time with high probability if colon cancer is going to metastasize. They were able to demonstrate that the gene MACC1 not ...  > read more

Scientists Unlock Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Metastasis (Dec. 23, 2008) — Researchers have shed light on a key mechanism behind the development of metastasis -- the main cause of death associated with cancer. The findings, published in Cancer Research, could have potential ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily